Fresh Start Blog

Of the many important factors leading to building resilience in kids, three key factors stand out as critical to the development of resilience in children.

The mediator will be interested in your perspective and will ask a lot of questions, covering topics like communication with the other parent and what each party would consider to be the best outcomes for the children.

Understanding our brain’s response to stress is the first step in changing our brain's response to one we can use to negotiate our way through. If we can learn to do that, we can begin to understand ourselves better.

Skills learned in conflict coaching empower individuals to become self-aware of their own conflict habits and analyse conflict when it occurs, to shift perspective from a reactionary ‘fight or flight’ to a more rational, thinking and solution-focussed position.

There are a number of things parents can do to ensure the wellbeing of their kids and minimise the impact of separation in their young lives.

You don’t have to be best friends with the other co-parent – you don’t even have to like them. But to meet the needs of your child, you do have to communicate with them.

Diverse and inclusive workplace policies use a positive approach to formally recognise that each employee is different, bringing unique experience, knowledge, understanding and skills to the workplace

While more commonly used to assist people in a relationship move through their conflict or move on in life, mediation also provides an excellent process for prospective LGBTQ+ parents, donors and caregivers to identify and explore issues they may need to consider and discuss in planning their Rainbow family.

Through an understanding of neurodiversity focusing on the strengths and benefits associated with brain functioning, we can encourage an inclusive and accepting approach to children living with neurodiverse developmental conditions in separating families.

A solid co-parenting alliance leads to less hassle and less drama for the parents and improved wellbeing for the kids helping them continue a stable and positive developmental journey despite a massive change to their small world.

If not resolved, problematic communication can become a weapon of mass destruction on the inside and outside of the business.

Conflict is a reality of many family separations, and within reason, most kids can cope – if the burden on them is managed carefully.

Mediation works because it replaces blame and punishment with problem-solving. And the effects of this approach can produce real and lasting behavioural change (rather than the antiquated notion of being caught and punished in an ongoing cycle that can continue into adulthood).

Enrolling in a parenting course does not mean you are a lousy parent. It means that you are willing to develop your parenting skills to meet the specific needs of your children after separation

After separation, somewhere between fantastic and terrible, is the reality where most co-parenting relationships exist, generally falling into three basic styles, two of them much better suited to the best interests of the child over the third.

In our mediation work, we see first-hand how much effort it takes from both parties to reach a co-parenting agreement in the best interests of their child. Once an agreement has been reached, the relief felt by both parties is palpable. But then comes the hard part - making the co-parenting agreement work. That’s where co-parenting apps come in - to make this next stage of co-raising kids just that bit easier.

Any dispute occurring within the context of a business relationship is known as a commercial dispute. If not dealt with quickly and effectively, commercial disputes have the potential to destroy livelihoods.

Separating couples often turn to mediation to reach agreement on how to divide their property, other assets and finances without going through the court process.

The thought of entering into mediation as a way to address conflict - whether it’s a family, work or a commercial matter - can be terrifying for a lot of people. Dread doesn’t even begin to explain it. As mediators, some of the best advice we can give, is to be prepared. And sometimes, that involves seeking the advice of specialists.

Often described in mediation as ‘finding the child’s voice in the absence of the child’, in Family Dispute Resolution (FDR), child informed mediation is a specific type of mediation informed by the input of the child or children involved, through working with a specialist child consultant.

Workplace behaviour can drastically impact performance, increase employee turnover, and affect customer relationships.

Parents who find the ability and willingness to move from being an adult couple in a conflict relationship to new roles as co-parents of their children, demonstrate their capability to make decisions in the best interests of the children, helping them to cope and move forward in their young lives, too.

If you are a manager or employer, it’s your duty - your job - to manage workplace conflict fairly and without bias. Believing you only need to get involved if the dispute hits the bottom line will cost you a lot more than a decline in profit.

Back in the day, when Leviticus coined the Biblical cliché, ‘Love thy Neighbour’, heavy metal played on mega speakers was not a problem. Neither were shared driveways, trumpet lessons, retaining walls, jack hammers or dogs who defecate on other people’s property.

Both parties agreeing to mediation is the first step towards finding common ground. Getting to that point can be challenging - but not impossible. Today's blog covers tips and insights to help you and your ex agree to mediation.

While it’s true what really throws one person may not touch the sides of another, there are some commonly used phrases that when used in mediation have the potential to initiate a negative reaction in the other party - and in the interests of trying to resolve the dispute in mediation, are best avoided at all costs together.

Choosing a mediator suited to the needs of your dispute as well as someone you feel comfortable with is an important first step towards resolving the conflict in your life.

One of the most difficult challenges parents in separating families face, is the transition from couple- parenting to co-parenting. By making the child’s wellbeing a priority, separating adults can turn co-parenting into one of their greatest strengths.

The pandemic has led to a new familiarity with life online which in the case of mediation, has revealed a range of benefits.

It’s affordable, informal and collaborative – almost the opposite of family court. Yet the idea of going into family mediation with an ex can trigger feelings of anxiety, stress, and sometimes, fear. Considered preparation can go some way to alleviating the intensity of these feelings.

Often the idea of dealing with conflict leaves us anxious, frightened and sometimes, angry. Those powerful emotions can put us at considerable disadvantage before we’ve even started to deal with the conflict in front of us.

All family breakdowns are painfully sad, and Rainbow families are no exception. However, sometimes due to the unique makeup of an LGBTQ+ family, things can become even more complex and challenging.

If the mediator channelled Gwyneth Paltrow, we’re confident at least one, if not both of the parties would walk out. We get it.